


En Pointe

by Arukou



Series: Tumblr Archive the Second [5]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate universe-Dancing, Inspired by Art, M/M, get-together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-12
Updated: 2018-06-12
Packaged: 2019-05-21 12:51:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14915705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arukou/pseuds/Arukou
Summary: “How come you’re always the one lifting me?”-OR-Tony issues a challenge.





	En Pointe

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [Hello-Shellhead's](http://hello-shellhead.tumblr.com/) lovely [artwork](http://hello-shellhead.tumblr.com/post/148459007356/bucky-only-questioned-tonys-abilities-to-get-his) of Tony lifting Bucky while they dance, and written for her birthday.
> 
> I am not a dancer, and while I tried to do a fair amount of research for this, I may still have things wrong.

Bucky had his heel hooked over the barre and his forehead to his knee when Tony said it.

“How come you’re always the one lifting me?”

“Come again?” Bucky said, looking up from his forward fold. 

“In our routines. You’re always the one lifting me.” Tony had that little furrow in his brow, the one that said he’d been thinking about this for a while. His mouth was pursed a little, too, and damn if he didn’t remind Bucky of an indignant kitten.

“Well…” Bucky trailed off and then rose completely, looking pointedly between himself and Tony. Over in the corner, Natasha and Clint snickered, and Bucky was very aware of Nat’s opinion on this whole ridiculous courting ritual he had going with Tony. Whatever. It was his love life to screw up, so he’d do as he pleased, thank you.

“Well what?” Of course Tony was going to be stubborn about it. But then again, Bucky wouldn’t like him half so well if he was a pushover.

Clint took pity on Bucky. “Tony, you’re 5′7″ and like 140 pounds. Buck’s 6 feet, 200 pounds. Do the math. You’d break your skinny little back.”

“Would not. I can balance on my big toes. Pretty sure I can handle Bucky.”

“Dunno. Can you?” Bucky said, his tone teasing. He kind of wished Tony would handle him, though, and put them both of their misery. It wasn’t like he was unaware of the mutual attraction. There was a reason they got partnered together so often, a reason that went beyond simple skill. But they were both as unskilled at talking about feelings as they were skilled in fancy footwork. So the tension remained, as Natasha put it, “like thirteen-year-old teenagers at their first bump and grind dance party.”

“Might be visually interesting,” Bruce said, and really, were they trying to kill him? “Someone smaller lifting someone larger. They do it in modern dance quite a bit. The unexpected. Might be nice for a contemporary ballet routine?”

“See? Bruce thinks I can do it.”

To be perfectly honest, Bucky was pretty sure Tony could do it, too. He was wiry, but his core and thighs were solid as rocks and his form was nearly geometric in its foundations, and that was really the most important part, wasn’t it? Arm strength was secondary to the torso and the foundation, especially if they tried for any sort of lift where Bucky was doing half the work. He could already see it in his mind's eye. A dance of equals rather than the more traditional focus on the smaller partner. Lifting and spinning in turns, two sides of the same coin.

“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you?” Nat asked, all teasing gone from her voice. Bucky switched legs and glanced over at her as he did so. She was seeing it, too, already choreographing a routine in her imagination.

“Well then, let’s do this,” Tony said, and Bucky glanced over at him. He was watching them both intently, a mad grin on his face. He’d seen it, and he wouldn’t let it go, not until he’d tried it. “You game?” He asked, his grin wicked, and Bucky couldn’t have said no, even if he wanted to.

“Bruce, Clint, will you guys spot us? Nat, check my form. It’s been a while.”

Bucky approached Tony and took a deep breath, closing his eyes and remembering what it was like when he was learning lifts with Steve, holding himself stiff and upright and jumping easily into the air, trusting his partner completely. He opened his eyes and said, “Let’s just go into a basic float. No running approach or anything. Let’s just get me in the air first.”

Tony nodded, his face fading into a serious, determined expression.

“You know the basics?” Clint asked behind him.

“In theory. I’ve been lifted enough, anyway. Don’t pinch the grip, keep the elbows locked in, strong foundation line, keep the weight anchored upright.”

“Sounds like a good start. You ready, Bucky?”

Bucky nodded and quieted his mind as he felt Tony’s hands on his waist. “And one,” Nat said. They moved as one body, plieing together. Bucky leaped into the lift, feeling the sure strength of Tony’s hands, searching for the center of gravity that would stabilize them both. Tony over-corrected a little and Bucky tipped backward, but Clint and Bruce were there to grasp his hands and steady him. After a moment, he felt Tony lock into posture, enough that he felt comfortable lifting his hands up and out, bending his legs into a graceful arch curling toward his head.

“Waist more upright,” Nat said, and he strained to comply, tightening his core until his ribs lifted.

“Light hands.”

“Easy for you to say,” Bucky groused, but he tried to relax his fingers, lift his wrists, create the line they’d be looking for in a performance. Below him, Tony didn’t even tremble.

“Good,” Nat said softly. “And down.”

Bucky landed softly en pointe, hands on Tony’s shoulders, feet crossed in fifth position. Slowly he lowered and then lifted up again, turning in Tony’s arms. It was the easiest thing in the world to just riff with him, to trust him to know what to do next. Bucky lifted a leg and they went into a fish dive like they’d been born doing it.

“Bring him in closer, Tony,” Nat noted. “Wide carriage but close elbows. That’s it. Lovely.”

They worked at it the rest of their rehearsal. Midway through, Bucky stripped his sweat-soaked shirt off and in some ways that was both better and worse. He hadn’t pictured that the first time Tony got his hands on skin, they’d be surrounded by their friends, but it was electric to feel Tony’s hands on his hips, on his ribs. 

“One more upright lift, adagio,” Nat commanded, “then we cool down and hit the showers.”

The plie, the sense of gravity passing down through them both and then the surety that it didn’t matter anymore. They could fly if they wanted to. From his arch over Tony’s head, Bucky slowly lowered one hand to Tony’s shoulder, maneuvering his weight down Tony’s body until he was braced on one solid thigh, his arm wrapped around Tony, his legs out in a variation on fish dive. Tony was holding him up with one arm alone, all that skin on skin, their eyes locked, faces close.

“I told you I could totally lift you,” Tony said breathlessly, sweat glistening on his temples, an impish grin on his face.

“Go on a date with me,” Bucky breathed, glancing down at Tony’s lips and up again. It was only because they were professionals that Tony didn’t drop Bucky then and there, but even so, Bucky felt the way his arm quivered when he processed the question. He sensed more than saw the others withdrawing, giving them space.

“You sure about that?”

“Positive.”

“Okay. Date’s away. Shower and then date. All the date. Dating. Can I kiss you?”

“Dunno. Can you?”

“I accept that challenge.”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](http://arukou-arukou.tumblr.com/post/156428824666/hello-shellhead-bucky-only-questioned-tonys).


End file.
